Fennel and Potato Bake

Potatoes and fennel from csa box. Random cheese assortment that needed to be eaten from my fridge

Comments: I pretty much used the original recipe as a launching pad since I realize now, I really didn't follow it very well. It was quite tasty, so I am not complaining. Just wanted you to know that the original link below and what I actually made are not quite the same. I accidentally omitted the butter from the layers, but did add more cheese intentionally. I think it was all for the best. We are indeed a cheese family.

Verdict: Unclear.  We are not big potato people over here. I don't actually purposefully buy potatoes and never order them when we are out. So, a definite lack of exposure around here. Also, I am not sure if the boys were being truthful when they said they didn't like it. Sometimes they make decisions about things too early and don't change their minds, even after they finish it all. But, I would give it 2 stars if I could, so we'll just say:
   Verdict: ****

Fennel and Potato Bake
a la Martha Stewart


Ingredients

Serves 6

Butter for pan
2 medium fennel bulbs
5 large red potatoes, peeled
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup grated cheese (I used a mixture of Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Provolone)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Trim fennel bulbs; halve, and core. Slice bulbs and potatoes very thin (1/8 inch thick).
3. Add potatoes to prepared dish in three layers, alternating with two layers of fennel; season each layer with salt and pepper, sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese.  Omit cheese from final layer as it will be added later.
4. Pour cream over top. Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Grapefruit Upside-Down Cake

Grapefruit from CSA box

Verdict: **** (there were 7 of us, and we all liked the cake, but only 4 liked the grapefruit portion)

Comments: I think using another fruit would have made this better. We all loved the spice cake, even with it being whole wheat... but the grapefruit was a tad off-putting for some. I personally liked the combo. I guess it is all personal preference. :) The only modification I made was to exchange the white flour for whole wheat. Oh, and we don't have allspice for some reason, so I used nutmeg.


Grapefruit Upside-Down Cake
a la Martha Stewart
Serves 8

Ingredients:
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 small pink grapefruit
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 4 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch round baking pan. Place the pan in the oven just long enough to melt the butter. Remove pan from oven; scatter 1/2 cup brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
2. With a sharp knife, peel the grapefruit, removing all pith, and slice. Arrange the slices to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and allspice. 4. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
4. Pour batter over grapefruit in pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; turn cake out onto serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.

Whole-Wheat Butternut Squash Ravioli

Used a butternut squash from our csa box. Our side salad was mixed greens from out csa box, as well.

Comments: Next time, I will use a pasta-maker, or just not do it, because rolling out pasta is a huge P.A.I.N. Also, I used whole wheat flour, which made it especially tough, so next time (if there is a next time) I would add more water to the dough. The filling was too sweet and butternutty for my liking, so adding more ricotta and perhaps a bit of salt and other spices would be a nice addition. Finally, I did a terrible job of measuring for this recipe, so the recipe listed below is my "best guess" plus any modifications based on the end result.

Verdict: **** (**) One child did NOT like the ravioli. The other two children ate it without enthusiasm, which I suppose is good? And, my mom and sister were over, and they liked it, but agree that a pasta maker would be a necessity if I were to do this again. :)


Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli

For the Pumpkin-ricotta filling
1½-2 cups butternut squash, cubed and roasted (400F oven until tender) I used a medium-ish and didn't measure the roasted cubes.
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse in food processor until smooth
Can be prepared in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use

Pasta with whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1 Egg
1 egg white
12-16 tbsp water

Mix flours together. Make a well in the center and add eggs and 6 tbsp water. Mix with a spoon until starting to come together, adding more water as necessary. Pasta dough should be fairly dry. Finish mixing dough by hand, gathering it into a ball. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes before working with it. Dough and pasta can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Roll dough out very thin (basically as thin as you can manage if you don’t have a hand cranked pasta maker) and cut into strips, depending on how much pasta-to-filling ratio you’d like. Place teaspoonfuls of filling along a strip, cover with a second strip and seal tightly around each ravioli. Be sure to get all the air out of the pocket around the filling. You can wet the pasta strips with a little water around the fillings so they’ll stick together better if your pasta gets dry as you’re working with it. Let ravioli dry on a towel for at least 30 minutes – flip them over to dry both sides - before cooking to avoid clumping. Cook in boiling, salted water for approximately 5-7 minutes (longer time needed for thicker pasta).

Top with melted butter or olive oil, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a handful of toasted pistachios (or pinenuts). Strong sauces will overpower the filling.
Makes 3-4 dozen ravioli, depending on size.

If you have some pasta dough left over, you can also cut the pasta into noodles or shapes. Let pasta dry on a rack or on a towel for about 30 minutes before cooking to avoid clumping. If you’re just making noodles, cook in salted, boiling water for 1-2 minutes.

Frittata and Beet Roesti

Various greens (mustard and broccoli liscia), beets, rosemary from csa box

Frittata comments: would definitely use onions (I HAD green and red onions, and yet, somehow forgot to use them). Also, I would add less salt that I did (which I, of course, did not measure so how will I know???). I could probably have added more greens and will next time. Again, didn't measure... silly me.

Beet comments: I would not say beets are my favorite food, I would never choose them. But, as they come frequently in our csa box, I am always on a search for new ways to eat them. As it was valentine's day, what a great opportunity for something red for dinner. SOOOO... beet pancakes. They were pretty darn good, for beets. I did use 4 small yellow beets and 1 medium red beet. This may have made it slightly more sweet, which was probably good. I really enjoyed eating a bite of beets roesti with a bite of the over-salted frittata... the sweetness counteracted the salty. Perfect.

Verdict: Frittata - ***** Beets: ** (children were bribed with chocolate to finish their beets, and they did, too)



Both recipes from NPR. The recipes below include my changes for "next time".

Frittata
Makes 4 servings
Time: About 30 minutes

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Broccoli greens, mustard greens, kale, chard, etc.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the butter or oil in a medium-to-large ovenproof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. Add onions and saute until just soft. While it's heating, beat together the eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add greens to mixture. When the butter melts, pour the egg mixture into the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm.
3. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake, checking every 5 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny, 10 to 20 minutes more. (To speed things up, turn on the broiler, but be very careful not to overcook.) Serve hot or at room temperature.

Beet Roesti with Rosemary
Makes 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds beets
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Trim the beets and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in a food processor or by hand. Begin preheating a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Toss the grated beets in a bowl with the rosemary and salt, then add about half the flour; toss well, add the rest of the flour, then toss again.
3. Place the butter in the skillet and heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape the beet mixture into the skillet, shape it into a nice circle, and press it down with a spatula. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the bottom of the beet cake is nicely crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide the cake out onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and slide the cake back into the pan. Continue to cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the second side is browned. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Fire Roasted Artichokes

Went for an impromptu trip to Trader Joe's for some milk and eggs and came home $50 poorer... BUT, I did come home with some smallish artichokes. I was immediately inspired to make the roasted artichokes from Claim Jumper that I fell in love with this past week. (As a side note, we went to the Claim Jumper for the first time and it was yummy, a bit more expensive that we are used to, but VERY family friendly. It was a successful evening out.)

Since we were at my mom's house this evening, I didn't use anything from my csa stash or things I had in my fridge. BUT, we did use up my mom's garlic and a bunch of butter. :)

Verdict: *****(**) My mom and sister ate with us and both enjoyed the artichokes.

Comments: I didn't measure precisely and apparently I used too much lemon juice (or it was too lemony) so next time, I would use a lot less. We used dried basil as we had no fresh basil on hand. Also, since we were having ravioli for dinner, we didn't want to fire up the grill JUST for the artichokes, so we faked it with a grill pan. Worked well! I also think that bigger artichokes would have been better/sturdier. The relish was good, but hard to eat with the artichokes with the flimsy leaves. Anyhow, overall a success for everyone.


Fire Roasted Artichokes

Ingredients:
1 large artichoke
1 tablespoon butter, melted

***Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise***
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 dash salt

***Tomato Relish***
1 medium tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 basil leaves, minced
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash ground black pepper

Directions:

Roast the head of garlic by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Cut the top off of a head of garlic and cut the bottom (the root end) so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove most of the papery skin from the garlic, but leave just enough to hold the garlic together. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, then place it in a small oven-safe casserole dish.

Cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until the garlic begins to brown.

While the garlic is roasting prepare the tomato relish by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare the artichoke by cutting about an inch off the top with a sharp knife. Use scissors to clip the thorny tips off of all the outer leaves so no one gets poked. Cut the artichoke in half down through the middle, then bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan to steam the artichokes.

The water should be a couple inches deep in the pan, but not so much as to cover the artichokes. If you have a steamer, that will work as well. When the water is simmering, add the artichokes, cover, and steam for 40 to 45 minutes or until the artichoke is tender. Preheat your barbecue grill to high heat.

Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic from the head and combine it with the mayo, lemon juice and salt. Stir well.

When the steamed artichokes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy choke inside each half. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of each steamed artichoke half and place each half, flat side-down on the preheated grill. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes or until dark charring marks appear on the face of each half. Serve grilled-side-up with tomato relish (strain the liquid from the relish before serving) and roasted garlic mayonnaise on the side.

Chinese "Hot Drop" Soup

We are not Chinese, but being festive, we decided to have a little Chinese New Year dinner to use up some of the things in my fridge. I love a few different chinese soups. My favorite might be the hot and sour soup. My kids are tolerant of spice, but probably not that much "hot". I also really like egg drop soup and my kids have had this and tolerated it. And... we have a bunch of bok choy... so, I am making a mish mash soup. I know mixing the flavors might turn out to be terrible, but we'll see how it goes. Egg drop soup is so bland, and 2 of my kids are sick, so we might need a little more flavor (like the hot and sour). It will just be an experiment.

Bok Choy from CSA box
tofu left over from potstickers
white onion subsituted for green since we have white on hand
ginger i bought for an orzo recipe, but didn't end up using because we had this instead - plus i have 2 sick kids, and I hear ginger helps.

Verdict: ****** (my mom joined us for the celebration!)

Comments:
I didn't measure anything, but approximated my made-up recipe. I probably added closer to 1/2 cup onion and 3 tsp red wine vinegar, but feel free to make yours how you like it.


Chinese "Hot Drop" Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
8 oz tofu, small cubes
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
3 heads baby bok choy, leaves only, thinly sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Bring the chicken broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, Asian sesame oil, red wine vinegar, ginger, bamboo shoots, and the chopped garlic.

Add the bok choy. Simmer for up to 10 minutes, until the bok choy leaves turn dark green and are wilted and tender. Remove soup from heat. Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. Stir egg in a clockwise direction for approximately 1 minute.